Episode 10: Entourage-Sorry, Harvey (2007)

In between Lady in the Water (2006) and The Happening (2008) M. Night Shyamalan made a special guest appearance in season 4 episode 4 of the HBO original series Entourage. We talk about Shyamalan's acting and willingness to have fun with his public persona. Since Entourage is only a half hour show, we end up taking many tangents, as you may have guessed. Tangents include: the CD-ROM movie encyclopedia Cinemania, Harvey Weinstein and Miramax in the '90's, the outrageous price of HBO DVD's, and Bryan's work as an extra in the movie Deep in the Heart. This month's Shyamalan scotch was: Loch Lomond.

Episode 9: Lady in the Water (2006)

After a longer than usual break we return to review Shyamalan’s bedtime story/fantasy Lady in the Water (2006), which was not received well by critics or audiences and became Shyamalan’s first major studio film to lose money at the box office. We touch on the book chronicling the making of the movie, The Man Who Heard Voices by Michael Bamberger, and we also discuss Shyamalan’s American Express commercial made around the same time as Lady in the Water. Tangents include: stories about Roger Ebert, the 80’s comedy My Date With an Angel, and the films of Frank Capra. This month’s Shyamalan scotch was: Monkey Shoulder.

Episode 8: The Village (2004)

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, released in the summer of 2004, made over $100 million at the box office, but still fell flat with audiences and critics and inspired one of Roger Ebert’s most notorious 1 star reviews. We discuss the elements of the film we liked, and then delve into the problems, plot holes, and twists. Tangents include A.J.’s days at the Tower Records classical department, reminisce about the “trailer voice,” Chris Carter’s Harsh Realm, and who would be the perfect star for our fictional cop show, The High Commissioner. This month’s Shyamalan scotch was, you guessed it: High Commissioner.

Episode 7: The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan (2004)

Before finding our way to The Village, we take a detour to uncover The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan (2004). Directed by Oscar nominated documentarian Nathaniel Kahn, The Buried Secret was a “documentary” produced for the Sci-Fi Channel intended to promote and create excitement around Shyamalan’s soon to be released film, The Village. This fake documentary, or mockumentary, is an odd assortment of obviously staged interviews, apparently genuine scenes of Shyamalan out in Philadelphia, a random cameo from Johnny Depp, and the idea that Shyamalan actually talks to ghosts. We digress to talk about another mockumentary, Incident at Loch Ness, starring Werner Herzog, contemplate going through either Herzog's or Kevin Smith’s films next, and talk about the price of DVD’s. We also discuss, of course, Shyamalan’s latest news about an Unbreakable/Split sequel and speculate wildly on what the plot might entail. This month’s Shyamalan scotch was: Clan MacGregor.

Episode 6: Signs (2002)

Signs (2002) was marketed as "M. Night Shyamalan's Signs" making him one of only a handful of filmmakers that have had their names put above the title of a movie. Signs received polarizing reviews and reactions from critics and audiences alike, but went on to make over $200 at the box office. Bryan and A.J. delve into the plot (spoilers ensue), the unlikely weakness of the aliens, fan theories, theology, CGI, and somehow end up talking about zombies. We also get confused about the Culkins and discuss our own theories of UFOs and alien life--it gets a little nerdy. Apologies for A.J.'s lackluster plot synopsis-- the scotch had not kicked in yet. This month's Shyamalan scotch was: Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition.

Episode 5: Unbreakable (2000)

Unbreakable (2000) was highly anticipated and released in theaters just a year after M. Night Shyamalan's break out hit, The Sixth Sense. Usually director names don't figure largely into a film's marketing but Unbreakable was sold to audiences as Shyamalan's next movie. Though it didn't achieve the same rare popularity as The Sixth Sense, it still grossed over $200 million dollars at the box office. We discuss the plot, the twist, cinematic style, and decide if Shyamalan was able to top The Sixth Sense. We also discuss the final scene (but not the climax or twist) of Split (2017), so consider this a SPOILER ALERT for Split! We also talk about the DVD extras, surround sound systems, and cinematic universes. This month's Shyamalan scotch is: Inver House Green Plaid

Episode 4: Stuart Little (1999)

Apologies in advance for technical difficulties we experienced with our microphone while dealing with the acoustics of a new recording space and recovering from colds.

We say we're going to discuss the career of M. Night Shyamalan, and we mean it, which means we had to watch Stuart Little, written but not directed by Shyamalan. We overanalyze the world of Stuart Little, marvel at its impressive cast, and ponder its incredibly large budget. Tangents this episode include current "live action" Disney movies, the upcoming children's movie Rock Dog, and we touch briefly on Shyamalan's recent box office hit, Split. This month's Shyamalan scotch was: Grant's.

Episode 3: The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Sixth Sense (1999) was a critical and box-office hit that became a phenomenon and made M. Night Shyamalan a household name—a rare accomplishment for any filmmaker. This movie became a cultural touchstone and went on the earn 6 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director & Original Screenplay (Shyamalan), Supporting Actor (Haley Joel Osment), Supporting Actress (Toni Collette), and Editing (Andrew Mondshein). Before diving into The Sixth Sense we relive the summer of 1999 by talking about the trailers included on the DVD. Naturally we discuss the big twist which leads us to talk about other movies with twists (The Crying Game, The Usual Suspects, Identity). Given the significance of the color red in the movie, this episode's scotch was Johnnie Walker Red.

Episode 2: Wide Awake (1998)

Wide Awake (1998), Shyamalan's sophomore film is, naturally, our sophomore episode and we make minor history by being the first people to rent Wide Awake from Vulcan Video. Though Wide Awake takes us to the suburbs of Philadelphia the themes remain the same as in Shyamalan's India set debut, Praying With Anger: faith, doubt, and searching for God. The DVD contained no trailers or special features for Bryan and A.J. to talk about, but we do give our thoughts on this episode's Shyamalan scotch: Black Scott.

Episode 1: Praying with Anger (1992)

We begin our podcast with an appropriate twist! M. Night Shyamalan's first film is not The Sixth Sense, as many thought, but 1992's Praying with Anger. Shyamalan writes, directs, and stars in this truly independent film made in the midst of the indie film boom of the late 1980's/early 1990's. Bryan & A.J. also briefly review the trailers included on the VHS tape of Praying with Anger and give their thoughts on this episode's Shyamalan scotch: Cutty Sark